Erik ten Hag reveals stance on David de Gea being Man Utd’s goalkeeper next season

Erik ten Hag has revealed he expects David de Gea to be Manchester United’s starting goalkeeper next season.

Spaniard De Gea scooped the Golden Glove for his 17 Premier League clean sheets in 2022/23 but has still courted criticism for costly mistakes and his role in heavy defeats to Manchester City and Liverpool during Ten Hag’s first season.

A new contract for the 32-year-old has been in the offing for a few months but has yet to be confirmed. 90min understands other parts of United’s squad will be prioritised in the summer transfer market, a stance backed up by Ten Hag in a recent interview.

The Dutchman did add, however, that United must keep things fresh in order to maintain progress.

He told The Times: “Yes, but I will not say he’ll always be my number one because in a club like Manchester United there must be competition in all positions.

“You can’t do it with 11 players. It is impossible. You need double positions.”

De Gea has been United’s starting goalkeeper since 2011 but gaffes in the Europa League defeat at Sevilla and another poor mistake in a loss at West Ham soon after put his future in the spotlight during the final few weeks of the season.

He has made 544 appearances for the club in total, being part of Sir Alex Ferguson’s final title winning side as well as Jose Mourinho’s 2017 Europa League champions. He has also collected two Carabao Cups and an FA Cup.

The former Atletico Madrid stopper has previously seen off competition from Dean Henderson for his starting role. The England international went on loan to Nottingham Forest for the 2022/23 season, where he played 18 Premier League games before getting injured in January.